The 2013 Oregon State University Commencement speaker has been announced! It is with great honor that we welcome Brigadier Gen. Julie A. Bentz as our commencement speaker on Saturday, June 15th.

Bentz, director of strategic capabilities policy on the National Security Council, is a 1986 graduate of Oregon State University, where she received an ROTC commission and earned a degree in radiological health. She is the first female officer from the Oregon Army National Guard to achieve the rank of general. She currently advises President Obama on national security issues in Washington D.C.

“Gen. Bentz has played an integral role in advising the United States about security matters – and especially nuclear defense strategies and implications – since Sept. 11, 2001,” said OSU President Edward J. Ray. “Her journey from a small town in Oregon, to Oregon State University, and on to national prominence will provide a compelling message for our graduates.”